Banjo piano



Sept. 4, 1923'.

BANJO PIANO Filed March 9, 1922 J. AfBOEHRiNGER JZIMQ In 1/612 ?0 ww w W parallel with said face.

Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES ATENT O JOSEPH A. BOEHRINGER,

BANJO f Application filed March 9,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. Bonrr RINGER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented newand useful Improvements in Banjo Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a musical instrument and more particularly to a stringed instrument including a key-operated mechanism for picking the strings to simulate a banjo, guitar, mandolin, or similar instrument. v

'One object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective picker mechanism which is reliable in operation and composed of few parts which are not liable to get out of order. j j

A further object is to provide the instrument with simple means for producing a close imitation of the banjo tone.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a musicalinstrument embodying my invention, with the casing partlyfbroken away. Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 22, Fig. 1. Figures 8 and 4 are enlarged sectional elevations of the picker mechanism showing different positions thereof. Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the bridge supports. Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the improvement.

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

For the purpose of illustrating the. invention, a comparatively small instrument of three octaves is shown in the drawings, but it will be understood that the im rove- .ment is equally applicable to largeinstruvided with a soundingboard or box 11 constructed .to imitate a banjo or similar stringed instrument. This sounding board is secured in an uprightposition in the lower rear portion of. the case. The strings 12 of the instrument are supported near their endson suitable bridges, one of which is. sh ownat 13. Each bridge is preferably supported upon a number of spaced rods 11 preferably of steel which arepartly seated ingrooves ll inthe face of the soundboard or otherwise mounted thereon, substantially Interposed be- OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

PIANO. V j J 1922. Serial No. 542,473.

tween these raised rods and the base of the bridge is a strip 13 of rawhide, such as buckskin, or equivalent material, for the purpose of imitating the characteristic sound of the banjo.

The keys 14 of the instrument are arranged in the upper front portionof the case and fulcrumed near their rear ends upon a longitudinal pivot rod 15 suitably supported in this case.

(Jo-operating with each string of the instrument and actuated by the. corresponding piano key is the picker mechanism which is preferably constructed as follows 16 represents upright rock bars'or picker levers, each of which is disposed between one of the keys 14 and the corresponding string 12, being spaced a suitable distance from the latter, as shown in Fig. 2. Each picker lever is capable of a compound reciprocating and oscillating movement 'relatively to the respective string and the same issuspended from the upper rear wall of the case through the medium of a yielding connection, preferably in the form ofa coil spring 17. The latter normally tends to hold said picker leverin its elevated or inoperative position shown by full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3'. At a short distance below its upper end, the picker lever is provided with a rearwardly extending fulcrum stud 18 which is guided for sliding movement in an upright groove or way 19 formed in the rear wall of the case, while the lower end of said lever terminates in a forwardly projecting finger or elbow extension 20 which is guided in a slot or comb 21 formed in the base of the case. This finger is operatively connected to the companion piano keypso that when the latter is, depressed,

the corresponding picker .lever descends with it and its lower arm is rocked toward the string. For this purpose a push rod 22 extends. from the undersideof the keyto the upper side of the companion finger 2O, 7 the ends of the rod being seated innotches or depressions 23 formed in said parts, as shown in Fig. 3. The bearing edgeQl ,of'the fulcrum stud is round or semi-circular. in

form to permit the picker lever to rock freely abouta horizontal axis. Said lever the manual action of the corresponding key.

Each of the springs 17 is preferably dis posed at a forwardly inclined angle, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and at, for the purpose of exerting a rearwa rd as well as an upward pull on the picker lever 16 and thus tend to swing its lower arm away from the CO1Tlpanion string on its upward stroke, to cause its picker to clear the string. Inorder to render this clearing action positive upon releasing the depressed piano key and pre vent picking of the string on the upward stroke of the picker lever, the lower end of the latter is preferably provided on its rear side with a flat return spring 26 which bears against a projection 27 extending forwardly from a fixed rail 27 or other suitable support. This spring constantly tends to rock the lower arm of the picker lever forwardly about its slidable fulcrum 18, withdraw ng the picker clear of the corresponding strlng before the upper string 17 elevates said lever and its actuating key to normal position, in which the picker is located above and slightly forward of said string, as best shown in Fig. 3. i

The downward stroke of each picker lever is limited by a buffer or cushion 28 secured to the lower front end of the finger 20 and contacting with the bottom of the case 1t), while its upward. stroke of said lever is limited by the fulcrum stud 18 aluitting against a shoulder 29 formed at the upper end of the guide groove 19. .The rocking movement of the picker lever and its actuating key is limited in one direction by the spring 26 and projection 27 and in the op posite'direction by the front end of the fin ger 20 striking against the front base rail 30 of the piano ease.

The operation of the instrument is as follows:

In the normal. position of the keys, the picker levers 16 are elevated, as shown by full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and the pickers 25 stand above and forwardly of the re spective strings. Upon depressing a key, the corresponding picker lever descends therewith and at the same time rocks on its fulcrum 18, the initial depression of the key bringing the picker 25 directly over the corresponding string, ready to pick it, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3; while by the final depression of the key the picker is caused to trip over the string and pick it. in an obvious manner. Upon releasing the de pressed key, the strained springs 17 and 26 react and return the picker lever and the key to their former position. During the initial return movement of .this lever, its lower arm is swung forwardly by the spring 26 simultaneously with the elevation of the .lever by the spring 17, thus positively withdrawing the picker to a position clear of the string, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4:. The remainder of the upward stroke is in a substantially vertical line avoiding engagement of the picker with the string.

Tn Fig. 6 is shown a modified construction of the means for positively deflecting the picker lever away from the string after picking it. Instead of employing a spring for this purpose, as in the previously described construction, the lower end of the picker lever 31 is provided with an inclined deflecting face 32 which is adapted to con tact with a roller 33 arranged in the lower portion of the instrument case. In this case, the key 34 may be integrally connected with the picker lever. Tn the normal inoperative position of the parts, shown by full lines in this figure, the suspension spring 35 holds the picker lever away from the corresponding string with its deflecting face out of contact with the roller Upon depressing the key, its initial movement rocks the picker lever toward the string with its picker directly over the same and the lower end of the deflecting face 32 contacts with the roller as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The further downward movement of the key first causes the string to be picked and the picker lever then to be deflected forwardly to withdraw the picker from the string. hen the key is released, the spring raises it together with the picker lever to its initial position.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, and picker mechanism comprising a picker lever capable of a compound reciprocating and oscillating movement relative to said sound producing part, means for offecting said movements of the picker lever. yielding means for suspending the picker lever from a point above its fulcrum and for restraining movement of said lever out of its inoperative position and means for ac tuating said lever to pick the sound-producmg part. i

2. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, and picker mechanism comprising a picker lever fulerumed intermediate its ends for movement toward and from said sound-producing part and capable of reciprocating relatively thereto, means for effecting said movements of the picker lever, means arranged to engage one arm of said lever for actuating it in a direction to engage said part, and means engaging the other arm of said lever for actuating it in a direction to clear said part.

3. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, and picker mechanism comprising a longitudinally-movable picker lever hav ing a sliding fulcrum intermediate its ends and capable of swinging toward and from said sound-producing part, means for efltll) yielding suspension means attached to one arm of said picker-lever and tending to move it to inoperative position, and means arranged to engage the other arm of said lever for depressing it to pick the sound-producing part.

l. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-pro luc- I ing part, and picker mechanism comprising a yieldingly-suspended picker-lever having a sliding. fulcrum and. capable of a compound reciprocating and oscillating movement relative to said sound-producing part, means for effecting said movements of the picker lever, and means for actuating said lever.

In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, a yieldingly-suspended picker lever having a sliding fulcrum and capable of compound reciprocating and oscillating movement relative to said part and normally spaced therefrom means for effecting said movements of th picker lever, means for depressing said lever to pick the sound-produc ing part, and means for withdrawing said lever from said part after the same has been picked. a

6. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, and picker mechanism including a longitudinally-movable picker lever fulcrumed for movement toward and from said sound-producing part, a spring for suspcnd- :ing the picker lever from a point above its fulcrum and tending to swing said lever away from the sounchprodueing part, and means for actuating said lever to pick the sound-producing part.

7. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, a longitudinally-movable lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends above said. sound-producing part, the lower arm of said levercai'rying a picker arranged to co-operate with said part, a suspension spring connected to the upper arm of said lever and arranged at an angle thereto to swing the lower arm of the lever away from the sound producing part, and means for depressing said lever to pick said part.

i 8. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, a longitudinally-movable lever :lulcrumed intermediate its ends above said sound-producing part, the lower arm of said lever carrying a picker arranged to co perate with said part, a suspension spring connected to the upper arm of said lever and tending to swing its lower arm away from the soundproducing part, means for guiding said lever in its longitudinal movements, and an actuating member for depressing said lever.

9. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of' a sound-producing part, a picker lever capable of a coin poundlongitudinal and rocking movement relative to said sound-producing part, said lever having an angular extension on the side away from the sound-producing part, and an actuating member operatively connected to said lever extension to depress the lever and swing ittoward the sound-producing part.

10. In an instrument of the character described, the combination of a sound-producing part, a picker lever capable of a compound longitudinal and rocking movement relative to said sound-producing part, said lever having an angular extension on the side away from the sound-producing part, an actuating member operatively connected to said lever extension to depress the lever and swing it toward the sound-producing part, and a suspension spring for said lever arranged to swing it away from the sound producing part.

JOSEPH A. BOEHRINGER. 

